David Francey

David Francey rose to prominence in Canada during the closing years of the 1990s as a widely admired folksinger and spinner of tales. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1954, he grew up immersed in working-class values and the comfort of old Scottish ballads. At twelve his family relocated to Toronto, where weekend drives through southern Ontario often combined countryside exploration with group singing. That early passion for the road would later shape his approach to music. In 1999 he launched his own Laker Music imprint to issue his first recording, Torn Screen Door, and was immediately recognized for his heartfelt and genuine style; fellow songwriter James Keelaghan declared, “David Francey is the best Canadian folk writer that I have heard in 20 years.”

Two years afterward came Far End of Summer, which brought Francey his initial Juno Award for Best Roots & Traditional Album. The same prize went to its successor, Skating Rink, in 2003. A joint effort with country traditionalists Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch, and Fats Kaplin produced 2004’s The Waking Hour, an album that included some of his most somber and politically charged songs, among them “Wishing Well,” which addresses the execution of Timothy McVeigh. After issuing both a debut live set and a holiday collection in 2006, he followed with the reflective Right of Passage in 2007 and earned yet another Juno. Teaming with Moxy Früvous alumnus Mike Ford, Francey released Seaway in 2009, an album that chronicled their journey aboard the Great Lakes freighter MV Algoville.

Beyond performing his own material, Francey’s songs have been interpreted by the Del McCoury Band and the Rankin Family. He has also entered several prominent songwriting competitions, claiming victories in both the USA Songwriting Competition and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. For the 2011 album Late Edition he journeyed to Nashville to reunite with Kane and Kaplin. That association with Kane led to the formation of Go Jane Go, a trio completed by Kane’s son Lucas. Following an Australian tour the group issued its first recording in 2013, an effort quickly succeeded by Francey’s tenth solo project, So Say We All. Three years later he returned with Empty Train.